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Making A Killing in Las Vegas – Atomic Parties

For a party or event with a difference a Las Vegas theme is great fun. But how about a Las Vegas themed party with a difference?

In 1951, just outside of Vegas in the Nevada desert, the first atomic bomb of what was to be many was detonated. It was so powerful that the flash was visible 400 miles away in San Francisco.
234 atomic bombs followed this first one until 1963 when the Limited Test Ban Treaty ruled that all nuclear tests must henceforth be made underground.

During the years between 1951 & 1963, Las Vegas was able to capitalise on the atomic spectacles & even issued to the public the detonation dates along with the best viewing spots.
The city earned the nickname Atomic City USA which along with the birth of the lavish casinos & the rat pack era contributed to the rise in popularity of Vegas as a tourist destination. The government ran a PR campaign which convinced people that the atom bombs were not just safe but a cause for celebration & partying. If anyone should happen to get nuclear fallout on them then the advice was to simply take a shower.

The bombs would be detonated around 4am, atomic party goers would party all night & end the nights indulgence of drinking, gambling & smoking by watching the mushroom cloud. A favourite cocktail of choice at this time was the Atomic cocktail ; a mix of champagne, sherry, cognac & vodka. Other spin offs from that time included the atomic hairdo and the atomic beauty pageant.
A relative unknown at that time, Elvis Presley, was billed as ‘America’s only atomic-powered singer’.

The real hangover from these parties was the inevitable health hazards which affected both humans and animals living in areas that would have received the nuclear fallout.